I leave rainy Ubud and head to Amed today.

Gasoline prices had doubled in the last several months according to Nyoman (Anik's husband). I notice prices of most things have gone up as well.

Yesterday I spent an hour talking with a Muslim woman and her husband in their shop, across from the Internet Highway where I now have an account (lol). I told them about my trip to Turkey, and about our small muslim community in Chico. I ended up buying two fantastic batik hangings for more than half the fixed ticket prices that were attached with little pins and carefully written on a mustard colored piece of tagboard. The woman, Irna, also gave me a batik napkin.

I waited in a little covered shelter for the rain to stop. An old Balinese man sat just outside his shop smoking and smiling and nodding at me. I returned his smiles. Then he began making hand motions to me which I did not understand. He suddenly got up and went into his shop, coming out with a rolled rattan mat and spread it out and sat on it. He then patted the mat and jestured behind himself.

I turned around, and there tucked between the bench on which I sat, and the rock wall of the shelter, was a rolled up mat! I did as he showed me, and received a wide grin!

I waited about thirty minutes, then continued my walk down Jalan Hanoman, where I spent several hours drinking Bali coffee with cream and sugar and eating peanuts, while talking with Anik and the woman who owns the shop next door. The topics of our conversation included children (Anik has none, and is always looking for advice), sex (when best to do it to get pregnant), business opportunities (Anik is sewing clothing and trying to sell in her shop... I think I am going to have to buy some...). gaining weight (a customer had given Anik's friend some weight loss powder a year or so ago, and she uses it every once in awhile... it doesn't work. They wish they could go to the doctor like Americans and just get the fat cut off... I set them straight), and husbands and their work (Anik's husband tries to get jobs off the street to provide transport, her friend's husband works at a small hotel for a few dollars, and of course my husband is a much respected in Bali... Guru.)

When it rains in this part of Bali, it is like the sky opening up. Drains crammed with used offerings, plastic bags, empty water bottles, bannana peels and foliage, quickly fill up, and water begins to run down the street in sheets. My rubber thongs slip and slosh on the slick pavement. Umbrellas come out and ponchos come on. I try to find shelter.

Fear Factor...

The amount of food, and the number of Epi Pens

that I take on my trips,

are usually a measure of how anxious

I am feeling before I leave.

For this trip, I took two Epi Pens.

I used one last night.

I am not sure what caused the reaction, but after I took two Benadryl and my lips and face continued to swell, I jabbed myself for the first time in my shaking thigh. I took a quick photo of my face, a photo of the food I'd eaten and the used Epi Pen, and layed back to rest. The adrenelin did not work right away, and I thought maybe I would have to use my second pen. I put it on the bed next to me and focused on slow, steady, calm breathing... while my heart pounded to the rhythm of the clanging gamelons. It was no use seeking help... the effort I would have to exert to find someone to take me anywhere (if there was anywhere to go quickly) would be too much. I suffered a long 30 minutes before I was sure that the reaction was in remission.

The next morning, my right eye and the left side of my lip were still puffy. I will take benadryl for a few more days as my doctor usually prescribes. Why the picture? I really thought that if the Epi Pen did not work, it would be nice for my family to have something to help piece together what happened. I feel vulnerable more than ever. I am tettering on maybe coming home early... if this occurs again, I will for sure.

I was taking a long, cool, somewhat refreshing shower the other night... longer than usual, when suddenly hot water came spewing out of the shower nozzle! Ahh, hot water! I did not know I had hot water, since my other showers must have been shorter. The next evening late, I turned on the water to let it heat up... 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 7 minutes, hot! I then proceeded to wash my hair and just relax. Suddenly, habis, finished... no water! I fiddled with the nob to no avail, then rinsed with cold water and went to bed. In the morning, as the roosters crowed, I heard water splashing in the shower! I had not turned the hot knob off. The hot water must get completely turned off at night.

My favorite part of Bali.

Children are never out of the sight of a loving family member...

Usually being held quietly on the lap of a grandparent,

on the shoulders of a father,

the hip of a mother or sister,

or simply being played with

or watched in admiration.

One of Ubud's more healthy looking dogs... napping at the parade

Sekala, Niskala

Visable, invisable... everywhere in Bali there are spirits present in the physical world. Good and bad, "gods" and "demons." Humanbeings can help keep these spirits in balance, it is believed, with their offerings. The daily flower offerings are known as canang, and are always accompanied with a unique and fragrant incense. These are placed (usually by women, but always by someone in a sarong and sash) in doorways of stores, homes, bungalows, or anywhere a spirit might enter.

Rain came in steady and predictably spaced downpours, sometimes with sunlight making its way through the canopy of trees and then it looked like strands of tinsel being dropped from above. The sound was like white noise with the tick, tick, ticking of thick drops plopping from the roof tops to the ground. Afterwards, drops rested like diamonds on the wide leaves, just before sliding to the tip to fall and be absorbed back into the earth.

The Day of Silence........ long, powerful, reflective, quiet...
The "chattering monkey" in my head, who is fairly easy to silence at home (since its thought are usually only mundane reoccuring concerns) insisted on narrating all that I saw, heard, smelled, thought, and felt in this exotic country on this special day. I must admit, the chatter was compelling, heartfelt, insightful, and interesting to me! I let the monkey chatter until midday, when the loud high pitched sounds of the rainforest drowned out words, and thoughts took on a new dimension. The evening ended with tiny candles being lit around the pool, up the stone steps through the moss covered garden, and on the low rattan table on my porch.

The excitement and anticipation was contagious!

The Nyepi Processession started around 5:00 and ended late in the the evening. The huge Ogoh Ogoh, demonic effigies, were hoisted onto bamboo platforms and carried down all of the streets by hundreds of children and teenagers...all beautiful balinese boys. Drums and gongs were played loudly, and the many conflicting rhythms filled the air and penetrated into my chest. The streets were lined with tourists and families, all enjoying the parade as one would anywhere in the world. Understanding that the purpose was to scare away the evil spirits for the new year, brought added meaning to me, as I sat quietly between two Balinese families, sharing my peanuts to the delight of their children.

The ant was at least the size of my thumbnail! It wandered erratically around the stone ledge until it found what it was looking for... a few grains of rice on a leaf, left as an offering at the cold jacuzzi in the garden. Here I sat, with my orange sarong floating all about me, catching my breath in short sharp gasps. I had just experienced an hour and a half Balinese massage, a sauna, and steam. Here I was left to cool down, and to enjoy a pot of green tea and honey, before my stomach massage... to aid in digestion. Ahhhh!

I spent two hours this morning walking in the rice fields. (Photos of that another time) I planned it so that I would end my walk where the top of the street that my bungalow is on, Jelan Kajeng, meets the fields. There, hidden in the overgrown jungle of green is a wonderful health spa that I discovered. Here is the path leading into it. Tucked in the foliage, are beds on stilts that you can rest on after your treatment.

The photo above is a typical breakfast served at Gusti's. I have chosen to have a banana jaffle (pronounce by them as jopple), which is a buttery crustless bread with bananas in the center. Below is a simple vegetable plate with peanut sauce. The total price for this (including beverage) was about $2.00.

Speaking of influence... this is the stone next to the pool that I helped fill in when I was here last. I am proud to say that I did the white border and half of the black! After I left, they put my name in the stone. When I returned before the end of my stay in Bali, I saw what they had done! It makes me a little teary to think of that. Of course, each of the employees had to show it to me when I returned this trip... just incase I had forgotten it was there!

This is a view from the inside of Anik's shop, where she primarily survives as a "money changer." Her husband built out the window and made some shelves and racks, and Anik has sewn some clothes to sell. She has not sold many because the fabric is very thin and cheap, but it was all she could afford. Also, the styles are not very cutting edge... The funny thing is, that if you look closely, you will see that the red button up blouse on the bottom and the scooped neck sleeveless top above, are replicas of the "Cut Loose" brand shirts I brought last year to have made by the tailor a few doors down! Poor Anik! With very few outside experiences, she must have thought that the clothes I brought to be made were popular in the United States, thus might be trend setters here! (I don't think so!) When I went to the tailor shop to visit, I saw that she too had made replicas of those two styles, as well as the double layer look I had her create for me. I actually like the fabric she used on her own creations, light and airy. You never know what kind of impact you will leave behind. I wonder if I was a good or bad influence? Too bad what they had made are too small for me!

These kids are resting their heads on some rattan balls that they had been kicking around. They are dressed in little soccer uniforms, and are in a public area that is raised about 3 feet from the ground, with a marble floor and a huge thatched roof high overhead... a perfect playground in a city with predictable rains each afternoon. They were doing "headers" and playing a form of "keep it up." There were girls and boys, all about the ages of 8-12. Many older men in the traditional yellow,orange, brown sarongs and white shirts, stood watching with admiration. I wonder if they did such a thing when they were young..

The next morning I got up early when Mr. Gusti was having his Bali coffee and admiring his beautiful garden. He saw me coming down the stone steps and nodded as though we'd never met. (I don't get him.) It was a bit early for the breakfast they serve as part of the $12 stay, but I wanted to bring a small gift. It was a black dry erase pen for their menu board. I know this would be a simple, yet very usable gift for them.

It was accepted with a nod, but later I saw Putu in the kitchen showing it off to the other employees. They all looked over at me and smiled. Putu gave me a thumbs up, and I knew I'd done the right thing.

This is a photo of a Gusti family member making a morning offering. You can see on her large tray are smaller little woven plates with flowers, spices, abit of rice, and of course inscense. She is sprinkling water on the offerings. She is also in the traditional/mandatory dress for going to a temple to make an offering. Even though this is just a masonary alter in the garden, she has put on a sarong, a lace top with a camisole underneath, and a ceremony sash. It is colorful yet simple. Offerings are made through out the day, usually by the women of the house.

I think it is essential, for a person travelling alone, to make a freind or two who is loyal and devoted. I guess that is true anywhere you go in life, and I especially appreciate that Bruce is that person to me at home. But here in Bali, I know that I can trust and depend on Anik, her husband Nyoman, Putu (in the photo) the son of Mr. Gusti who owns the bungalows where I stay, and to whatever extent he is able, Ketut, the lower cast employee of Gusti...

I understand and enjoy the give and take of these cross cultural relationships. Yesterday, Putu and Mr. Gusti invited me to a barbeque of sorts in their family compound. Early that morning I'd listened to the clatter of utensils and the excited hushed chatter of women in the kitchen. They were preparing food for this family gathering before Nyepi. I couldn't believe they invited me! Mr. Gusti is usually so pensive and aloof, but obviously he respected me to invite me into this rather intimate gathering!

I was the only female eating, and not so sure what to do... but with gestures and smiles, I came to understand that it would be like our own family buffet style eating! Above you see a relative of Gusti's bringing back a basket of food which she brought as an offering to the family temple and then spread out as part of the food at the buffet. I was handed a small rattan plate with a wedge of coconut leaf on it. I served myself a generous portion of sticky rice (I was thinking that if the other unrecognizable food was not palatible to me, at least I'd be eating and looking like I enjoyed it!). Next there was a mixture I'd eaten before in the market... some sort of finely ground meat with green spices. The rest of the food I just took a chance on, and put a small helping around the glob of rice. This is what I had: cubes of duck wrapped in a leaf (greasy but good), a finely chopped pig mixed with a glutenous substance (tasted good, like sausage), torn up leaves, that looked like bay leaves, that were coarse and bitter. These were mixed with red spices. It was hot and horrible, and I resisted the urge to spew it out of my mouth. I kept it in, chewing and chewing, and the little pieces of leaves got stronger and stronger in my mouth. finally I resorted to the old trick from my childhood- cough quietly into a napkin!

All the food was eaten with the right hand, and we ate and watched a duck which was skewered from bill to butt and tied to a bamboo skewer, being cooked over a little habatchi style stove. It was smokey and smelled delicious. The little chips that burned were from the shell of the coconut. The women waited on the porch and at first I felt uncomfortable, but when I'd try to make eye contact with them, they'd smile and not. I knew it was okay, and that it was quite an honor. I wasn't really sure when it was officially over, and when I could go... so I started to play with the little children. That was perfect!

Anik's father's family pose for a picture!

I spent most of the day walking around, looking in shops, watching children playing, talking with people, and finally, visiting my friend Anik at the shop where she works. We borrowed a
motor bike from her friend and we rode about 15 minutes to where her parents live. This is a photo of her with her mother. It is the tradition that a woman lives in the same house as her husband and his family. Because of this, Anik rarely gets to see her parents. I suggested that we just go and that I would take pictures so she would have some to remind her of them. I had brought some little plexiglass frames, and I will print them to give to her. When I was taking the picture, all of her cousins and their wives and children began coming out into the courtyard and started posing in such a way that I knew they wanted me to take a picture of them too, but they were too shy to ask! I did so, and will make a little album for them. I ended my day with a massage, tea and fruit.

There is much excitement in Ubud today. Tomorrow is the eve of the Hindu New Years, and there will be a torchlit procession in the street with great huge figures. I have been watching the goulish creatures being made. This is a picture of one. It is made of foam rubber that has been carved and hand painted! Last night as I was walking home, there were some flashing red lights and soft music coming from the end of the road where my place is. I walked towards the lights until I could see that they were lighting a blue figure. It was like a happy leaping dragon without a tail! The figures are created by various youth groups, schools, and clubs. There is a contest to see who can make the funniest, ugliest, most frightening creature. The purpose of all of this, as I understand it, is to rid the town of any evil spirits. The following day will be a day of silence. No one in the streets. It is a day of meditation and prayer. It is also a day of fasting. All work is stopped, including the airport and service at most hotels. Interesting!

After a long 13 hour flight from San Francisco to Taipei... a two hour wait, and a short 5 hour flight on one of China Airline's new planes, with individual screens and movies for each passenger, I arrived in Denpasar, Bali! I shed my leggings, hoodie, and socks, and was prepared when the humidity in the airport hit! Some of the passageways are open to outside courtyards, with fountains and stone carvings, all covered with moss and vines. I got in line right away, and going through customs was a breeze. I picked up my bag and headed toward the glass doors leading to the outside. I scanned the eager dark faces of people waiting for passengers, until I found the smile I was looking for. My Balinese friend, Anik, and her husband Nyoman, were there as planned. After a long hard girl hug from Anik, and a shy tight hand shake from Nyoman, we stood looking and smiling and laughing at each other. It had been so long, and we'd anticipated this moment for months. Now it was real and felt as if there had been no time at all between visits.
The 45 minute drive from the busy city of Denpasar to the mountain town of Ubud was hot, muggy, and fast. The three of us talked and laughed and shared what was new in our lives, as Nyoman navigated the packed roads with ease. We shared our lane flanked by motorbikes, chickens, women walking with baskets, men carrying long strands of palm leaves, and my eyes were stinging the entire way. Anik offered me warm water and I drank it gratefully. My legs stuck to the seat and my hair blew in the warm breeze from the open windows.
When we arrived at Gusti's Garden Bungalows, a short dark man with a knowing grin greeted us! Ketut had heard I was coming, and was there waiting to carry my bags! Amazing! He is a man we befriended on our first trip, and he remembers me every time. He apologized over and over that someone was in "my bungalow!" He led me to another room that was colorful and bright, overlooking the pool and the garden. I could tell at once it would be warmer than my preferred room. He tried to turn on the overhead fan, and it chunked around in a lame manner, barely cutting the thick air. He smiled apologetically... bargaining power I thought!
I had no sooner washed my face and sat on the bed when the sky broke open with rain. I just sat and watched the huge drops splash off the gigantic green leaves by my porch and come down in sheets from the roof. I decided to forget a shower, and just went outside and stood in the rain and let it wash the sticky sweat from my body. I went in and dried off with a sarong that I had tossed in at the last minute... good thing, because the room had no towels.
I will walk around the town tonight, and just get reaquainted with the streets. In two days is an important holiday and there is evidence of preparation everywhere. More on that later!

Hello, World!